Storm-toppled tree damages car in San Francisco

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November 30, 2012 6:46:53 PM PST

by Tomas Roman

SAN FRANCISCO --

San Francisco saw a mix of storm damage on Friday, from a few flooded streets to a tree that severely damaged a car.

With a loud thud at about 8:30 a.m., a large tree fell over on Pine Street and landed on a parked Mercedes. The San Francisco Fire Department was forced to close the street as crews worked to clear the debris.

The car belongs to Ashley Jenkins.

"I hope it's not a total loss; I just bought the car so I love it, it's been a great car for me but I'm just trying to put a positive spin on it," she said.

Liz Jorgenson says another tree fell over last year on Pine Street. She says neighbors are concerned the trees have shallow roots and are too vulnerable in storms like the one that moved through San Francisco Thursday and Friday.

"I saw the tree just fall into the street and it could have been extremely tragic, we were lucky there were no cars on the street," Jorgenson said.

Toppling trees are a major concern for city workers. A Recreation and Parks Department crew discovered another tree along the Great Highway was just about to fall. They decided to bring the spruce down before it did any damage. San Francisco Department of Public Works closed off the Great Highway from Sloat Boulevard to Lincoln Way because of the storms.

Large storm waves pounded the coast from Ocean Beach to Pacifica. Jeff Gustafson, who lives in a home by the shore, says living there means you have to be prepared when these types of storms come through.

"I tell people to be prepared; have batteries, have some canned goods, and have water; should be common sense for people here," he said.

Recreation and Parks Department crews say they dealt with fallen tree limbs and trees all day long. They say they have crews standing by to deal with any damage from the next storm.